Chapter 416
## Chapter 416. The Price of Connection (4)
—
A piece of realization I lacked during my previous life is that attaining the rank of master grants a person an incredibly heightened awareness of their physical form. For example, within a pitch-black void like this, where determining the passage of hours is nearly impossible, I can roughly estimate the elapsed time simply by monitoring how much food remains in my gut.
*‘One full day.’*
Indeed. Because I had climbed to a loftier peak than before my rebirth, I could accurately perceive the sheer length of time I had been holding out in this miserable condition within this wretched cell. *You really are something, Jin So-un! Curse it all!*
“Ugh…… ah……”
Enduring an agonizing torment—one so intense it felt as though my very spirit was tearing free from my flesh, or rather, had undoubtedly detached for a brief moment before snapping back—I unblocked my sealed acupoints and forced myself into a meditative posture. Yet, my situation showed no signs of improvement. My core was on the verge of rupturing, and every single one of my Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Primary Meridians, including the vital paths of the Conception and Governing Vessels, remained completely obstructed.
It felt as though massive, spear-like spikes had been driven through my entire being, impaling me from head to toe. The moment I attempted to stir even a fraction of the vital energy resting in my Dantian—
“*Pant*, *gasp*……!”
It was as if my internal pathways were being ruthlessly pierced by white-hot needles wherever the energy tried to flow. Conversely, if I merely tried to stay still and bear it, the Taiji Elixir that had begun churning violently inside my Dantian grew desperately eager to burst outward in every direction. It behaved precisely like a frenzied hound reacting to the word ‘walk,’ leaving me with a throbbing headache as I observed this eager, uncomprehending beast that had absolutely no regard for its master’s plight.
Furthermore, because information regarding the Taiji Elixir was virtually nonexistent, I had been unaware of its true nature until now. This medicine wasn’t named the Taiji Elixir without reason. The twin forces of Yin and Yang within my core were continuously pulling and pushing against one another, relentlessly multiplying my inner reserve. The only reason I realized this was because, while risking my own life in a meditative stance, I attempted to suppress the Taiji Elixir by activating the *Tae-eul-jin-gyeong*……. But instead of calming down, the dual energies of this chaotic Taiji Elixir began spinning furiously, causing the inner force to swell out of control!
*Curse that Wudang Sect. Why did they have to brew such a terrifyingly potent medicine!*
At this very moment, I was barely keeping the Taiji Elixir at bay by focusing every ounce of my strength into the *Tae-eul-jin-gyeong*. But I was slipping away. In truth, it was fair to say I was already on the brink of death. The vital circulation that normally sustained my entire body had ground to a halt, and as a result, my physical form was entering a state of gradual decay. My skin had completely lost all sensation, my breathing was suffocated, and my pulse had dropped so drastically that my mind felt completely disconnected.
My thoughts drifted in vague, scattered pieces, as though a dense fog had rolled into my mind. I reached out to grasp onto a single shred of logic, but my awareness swimming through the mist only grew dimmer. Just then, a solitary thought emerged vividly from the haze.
*‘Is this where my path ends?’*
A premonition of mortality. Am I really destined to perish like this? If I fall here……. What will become of the people of the Tae-eul Sect? What about my junior martial siblings? And those wretched bastards over at the Baekrang Pavilion?
Gradually, those fragmented thoughts floated to the surface one after the other. The horrific sights I had witnessed in my prior lifetime began to paint themselves clearly within my clouded mind. If I perish in this place, the exact same tragedy might unfold all over again…….
“……!”
Perish? Stop talking nonsense! If I was meant to throw my life away in a place like this, I should have just let it end in my previous existence!
The moment I momentarily eased the *Tae-eul-jin-gyeong* to grant the Taiji Elixir a small amount of breathing room, the agonizing torment flared up across my entire body once more.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
As the pain ripped through my nervous system like a blade, my focus snapped back with absolute clarity. I began to carefully reconstruct the sequence of events that had brought me to this desperate state.
*‘Without a doubt, everything started because of that lunatic old man.’*
I visualized my final encounter with that wretched elder.
[*It is a clear indication that the harmony of your Jeong-gi-sin is beginning to fracture. If you recklessly engorge your inner reserves in this manner, you will be fortunate if you only perish from Qi Deviation.*]
—The root of the dilemma.
[*Treasures of this caliber are abundant within Wudang and Shaolin, yet they would never blindly bestow such vast energy upon a single youngster.*]
—The progression.
[*If that is so, is the meager level of inner force I sense from you, Elder, tied to that very restriction?*]
[*Heh, heh, heh. You are a youngster with remarkably sharp instincts.*]
—The turning point. I ought to have realized it right then.
[*Is there a method to consume that medicine and achieve even greater strength?*]
[*There is.*]
[*I humbly request your guidance.*]
[*And why should I offer it?*]
—The apex of the crisis. Backing away at the critical juncture is the textbook strategy of a swindler. Did I really allow myself to be deceived even when I saw it coming?
[*Hmm…… I suppose substituting it with this will suffice.*]
—And…… this was the wretched outcome.
It was infuriating, but as I reviewed the chain of events link by link, the origin and the ultimate resolution of the issue were actually skewed in a way that favored me. Moreover, the old man who claimed to desire the Taiji Elixir had chosen to feed it to me rather than taking it for himself. If I were to die from this, I would likely hold the title of the individual assassinated by the most ridiculously expensive means in history. No matter how unhinged that old man might be, he wouldn’t orchestrate my demise in such a fashion.
If that held true, then this ordeal was the very ‘guidance’ I had pleaded for. For some reason, a fierce indignation welled up from the depths of my soul.
*‘That absolute lunatic of an old man……! I beg for instruction and he pulls a reckless stunt like this?’*
In any case, looking at the big picture, this predicament was a riddle the elder had thrown at me to solve. If I could shatter this barrier and forge ahead, it would be a genuine ‘fateful encounter’ that would propel my cultivation to an entirely new tier.
*‘……Provided I don’t kick the bucket in the process, of course.’*
A bitter laugh escaped me at the sheer scale of the old man’s design. Yet, like someone who was clearly missing a few screws, he had thrown me into the deep end without leaving behind a single hint.
*‘The least he could have done was give me a proper warning before doing it……!’*
I barely managed to tilt my head up, which had grown rigid and unyielding. I was forced to confront a colossal, towering obstacle all by myself. Staring up at that metaphorical summit, the muscles in my neck tightened further. I forced myself to draw another breath.
*Focus, Jin So-un. Find a path forward, no matter what.* I haven’t survived countless brushes with death just to fail now. I will find the key this time as well. And then, a solitary answer flashed across my mind.
*‘My recollection.’*
I swallowed a mouthful of thick saliva at the thought of the agony that was about to strike, my entire frame tensing with dread. Even so, I reinforced my resolve. *What choice do I have? I must see this through!*
All at once, I completely relinquished my hold on the Taiji Elixir’s energy, which I had been desperately restricting using the *Tae-eul-jin-gyeong*. The internal force, which initially crept forward, rapidly gained momentum and expanded to an astronomical degree. If nothing else, that eccentric old man had been entirely accurate regarding the sheer volume of inner force. If a few more concentrations of energy like this flooded my Dantian, the equilibrium of the *Jeong-gi-sin* would inevitably crumble.
*Snap, crack.*
Forcing its way through my rigid energy pathways, the torrent from the Taiji Elixir surged directly toward my heart. The agony was severe enough to make my eyes feel as though they would burst from their sockets, but I endured by clamping my teeth together, even as I cut into the flesh inside my mouth. A pain so absolute that it completely numbed me to the metallic taste of blood tore through my entire form. Even amidst that blinding torment, I focused my absolute consciousness on the currents raging within me.
The massive wave of energy that had reached my heart through the primary pathways was now trapped, unable to disperse into the rest of my body due to the blocked microscopic vessels.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
I could feel my chest vibrating with an increasingly frantic rhythm, swelling as though it might burst apart at any second. Deprived of any other outlet, the concentrated force at my heart turned upward, surging directly toward my skull.
*Thump-thump-thump.*
*Thump-thump-thump-thump.*
In tandem with that wildly accelerating pulse, the dense fog that had blanketed my mind vanished in an instant.
“Urrrghhh.”
My brain, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the Taiji Elixir, dragged my consciousness entirely into the realm of mental imagery. Immediately, I brought forward the memory of my single clash with that eccentric elder. The exact instant I had executed the *Baek-wol-je-cheon-sam-sik* First Style, *Geuk-kwae*.
Even though I was reviewing the memory in slow, frame-by-frame detail, the velocity of *Geuk-kwae* remained so extreme that certain moments appeared to skip entirely. Yet, that unhinged old man had effortlessly slipped through that infinitesimal opening to place his palm against my chest.
*‘He perceived that tiny flaw and penetrated my defense?’*
For a split second, a chilling dread washed over me at the thought that the old man might be some unfathomable entity beyond my comprehension, but I shook it off—it was irrelevant right now. I deliberately replayed the elder’s physical movements over and over. Rewinding the memory, then letting it play forward once more. The elegance of the old man’s execution was breathtaking, no matter how many times I analyzed it.
From that point, I pushed myself a step further. I had been incapable of achieving this in my previous mental rehearsals, but now, fueled by the volatile surge of the Taiji Elixir, I possessed the necessary mental acuity. Stripping away every single distraction that cluttered my perception, I directed my entire focus toward the precise manner in which the old man channeled his inner force.
And then—
*‘There is absolutely no dissipation?’*
I suddenly recognized that not a single shred of energy was bleeding off from the old man—energy that by all natural laws should have been lost to the surroundings.
*‘Does such a feat…… even defy reality?’*
Unless my recollection was completely flawed, the transcendent mastery exhibited by the old man was an act that overthrew the fundamental laws of nature.
*‘Now that I think about it.’*
When Hyeon-yeong unleashed his Innate Qi, the aura radiating from his shoulders hadn’t been overly vast. In comparison to the moment I had unleased my own Innate Qi back at the Iron Sword Gate, his display seemed like a mere droplet against an ocean. Without question, his total reserve of inner force must have been smaller than mine, yet the amount of wasted energy had been significantly greater on my end. Yes, I was losing far too much energy to the air…….
*‘Could this be the secret……!’*
I desperately wanted to weigh other hypotheses, but my physical form was rapidly giving out.
*Thump-thump-thump.*
*Thump-thump-thump-thump.*
Following the frantic rhythm of my chest, it felt as though my skull was on the verge of fracturing. Refusing to let myself burst like a sealed kettle over a fire, I immediately came to a definitive conclusion.
“I’ll bet everything on this!”
I began to direct the flow of my inner force. From this moment on, it was total victory or absolute death.
The Inspection Pavilion was currently enveloped in a state of extreme anxiety due to the unprecedented confinement of a monumental figure. The designated successor to the leadership of the Wudang Sect. A sitting representative on the current Murim Alliance Elder Council. And the prominent figurehead of the Jeongdo-hoe. The arrival of Cheong-su-jin-in within these walls as a suspected criminal was a deeply unsettling crisis for the leadership of the Inspection Pavilion. This entire affair was bound to yield a negative outcome if resolved smoothly, and an absolute catastrophe if it fell apart.
Under normal circumstances, the Pavilion Master, the Vice Pavilion Master, or at the very least a high-ranking Counselor should have personally conducted the interrogation and handling of the case. Curiously, on the exact morning of the scheduled hearing, beginning with the Pavilion Master who was designated to oversee the trial, the Vice Pavilion Master and the Counselor all failed to appear at the Inspection Pavilion, suddenly plagued by severe abdominal cramps, intense fevers, and minor bouts of Qi Deviation (?).
Consequently, a frantic internal debate arose regarding whether they should delay the hearing indefinitely, or if the next officer in the chain of command should step forward to proceed with the matter. In the total absence of the Pavilion Master and the senior leadership beneath him, the collective attention of the various Hall Masters within the Inspection Pavilion naturally landed upon the Great Hall Master.
With the entire room paralyzed by uncertainty, the Great Hall Master finally shattered the tense quiet hanging over the chamber.
“……Begin the interrogation.”
Ak Byeong-bi, who correctly anticipated that the senior officials would likely remain on indefinite medical leave to avoid this mess entirely, stepped forward to personally handle the questioning of Cheong-su-jin-in.
“……Do you plead guilty to the counts of assassination, arson, and conspiracy to murder directed at the primary delegates of the designated delegation?”
Ak Byeong-bi recited the various counts of indictment with an entirely impassive countenance. While countless notorious outlaws and prominent figures of the Black Way Murim were frequently intimidated into silence by Ak Byeong-bi’s massive build, stern demeanor, and the suffocating pressure he naturally radiated, Cheong-su-jin-in didn’t show even a flicker of discomfort.
“I asked whether you acknowledge these actions.”
Instead of answering, Cheong-su-jin-in merely fixed his gaze directly onto Ak Byeong-bi’s eyes, maintaining an expression of pure innocence.
“Do you honestly believe such allegations can be made to stick to someone of my standing?”
“I fail to comprehend how an individual who has been marched into the depths of the Inspection Pavilion can display such arrogance.”
“You, operating as the leader of the Third Hall, have taken the lives of a countless number of Black Way martial artists. Has an individual of your background ever faced execution for the act of killing?”
The man under interrogation was attempting to legitimize his own conduct by throwing the interrogator’s violent history back in his face. Nevertheless, Ak Byeong-bi refused to be swayed by Cheong-su-jin-in’s calculated attempt to distort the core issue.
“The sanctity of the Alliance Law exists precisely to ensure that no individual is unjustly condemned during the judicial process. Furthermore, the victims belonged to a delegation that journeyed here under the formal protection of the Alliance. Such an act is an abomination against basic human decency, completely separate from any conflict between the Black Way and the White Way.”
Cheong-su-jin-in’s frigid eyes narrowed slightly as he appraised Ak Byeong-bi.
“How fascinating. To hear a ranking officer of the Inspection Pavilion offering a defense for the General Counselor of the Saheuk-ryeon, an entity you ought to despise above all else.”
“A person’s transgressions are not determined to be innocent or guilty based upon their heritage or their personal beliefs, but strictly by the weight of the deeds they have executed.”
“Hmm…… there were whispers whispered throughout the halls that the leader of the Third Hall had returned from the Saheuk-ryeon with a warped mind; I see those rumors were entirely accurate.”
Ak Byeong-bi’s face, which had remained entirely composed until now, hardened in an instant.
“Cease this deflection immediately and——.”
“Tell me, have you perhaps also fallen under the psychological influence of Jin So-un?”
“…… shreds of thought.”
Cheong-su-jin-in shifted back into his seat, letting out a mocking chuckle.
“I genuinely cannot comprehend it. Why is it that every single individual becomes completely incompetent the moment they become associated with that brat.”
*Slam!*
Ak Byeong-bi’s closed fist violently struck the wooden surface before him.
“Are you truly that certain of your safety?”
*Certain, he says…….* Cheong-su-jin-in, meeting the furious glare directed at him by Ak Byeong-bi, exhaled a soft, mocking breath.
“It appears you are operating under a massive delusion.”
Then, lowering his tone into a chilling whisper, he spoke softly.
“How much longer do you truly imagine I will remain confined in this place? An assassination plot against Dam Ak? Do you genuinely believe you can restrain me using something so trivial?”
“…….”
“Had an open conflict erupted, our positions in this room would be entirely reversed. Even if that failed to pass, my stay here will be remarkably brief.”
“Well, we shall discover the truth of that soon enough.”
Faced with Ak Byeong-bi’s unmoving resolve, Cheong-su-jin-in merely offered a dismissive smirk.
“I understand that Jin So-un is currently categorized as missing?”
“……!”
Ak Byeong-bi caught his breath sharply for a split second. The subterranean cells of the Inspection Pavilion constituted the most isolated fortress on earth. How in the world could Cheong-su-jin-in possess intelligence regarding the outside world that even he had not yet been briefed on?
“An entire week has passed since Dam Ak reestablished contact with his main body. Given that, why do you suppose that pathetic brat Jin So-un has failed to make his return?”
A smug, victorious grin spread across Cheong-su-jin-in’s features.
“Are you…… still so certain?”
To Ak Byeong-bi’s ears, as he found himself temporarily unable to formulate a response, a flat voice completely devoid of emotion whispered into the silence.
“My departure from this place is close at hand.”
